


Mending A Broken Home

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 03:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11153238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: “You’re supposed to love my mother so we can still be a family!”





	Mending A Broken Home

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Damian would just be so upset about Bruce proposing to Selina. What a poor baby.

Bruce sighed, dialing the number. It was a last resort, one he hoped he didn’t have to use.

But when Damian was upset, there was only one person he turned to.

“He just needs some time.” Dick answered as a greeting – and Bruce was a little disappointed to know he was right. Pursed his lips in annoyance. “Just. Let him process it, okay?”

“What is he thinking?” Bruce asked anyway, already heading towards the door. Grabbed his jacket and a set of car keys. “Has he said?”

“He’s upset, and he’s upset about what you told him. That’s about all I’ve got.” Dick explained. “Otherwise…he really hasn’t said anything. Just curled himself up on the sofa. I’m…kind of trying to give him his space for right now.”

“Hm.” Bruce grumbled, opening the car door and dropping into the driver’s seat. “Keep him there, keep him safe. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Wha…wait, Bruce, I don’t think you should-”

Bruce clicked the line and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. Started the car and took off towards Bludhaven.

~~

The door to Dick’s apartment opened while he was still moving down the hall.

“Can just you and I talk first?” Dick pleaded, holding his hands up. “I told him you were coming, I just want to give him a little more time to prepare.”

Bruce opened his mouth to retort, but looked past Dick into the apartment. He could see Damian on the sofa, leaned into the side of one Koriand’r, the woman speaking in soft tones to another as she put drinks on the coffee table – Dick’s girlfriend Shawn Tsang.

“…Fine.” Bruce sighed, stepping back. Dick didn’t close the door, just leaned against the frame. “What is Starfire doing here?”

Dick glanced behind him. “She and Damian are close. He texted her after he got here. Next thing I knew, she was at the door.”

“…Oh.” Bruce sighed. “And Ms. Tsang is…?”

“Great with it. I can already tell the two of them are going to be awesome friends.” He looked back at Bruce with a tired smile. “Which will probably suck for me, but. Oh well. “

They both just looked at each other.

“Bruce, are you serious about this?” Dick asked quietly. “Like… _really_ serious?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. And I’m happy for you. Really, I am.” Dick nodded. “But you have to remember the people outside of you and Selina, okay? Me and Jay and us older ones, we’ll probably be fine. But Damian…”

“You’re supposed to love my mother!” Damian suddenly screamed from inside. They both turned to find Shawn and Kory trying to hold Damian back, soothe him back into the sofa from where he had lurched. His eyes were wide and angry. And hurt. So, so _hurt_. “You’re supposed to love my mother so we can still be a family!”

Bruce inhaled a gasp, listened as Kory and Shawn tried to comfort his son.

“And how are we supposed to be a family if you marry that…that…” Damian looked around, as if physically searching for the word. “… _harlot_!”

There were tears welling up in the little boy’s eyes, and when Kory moved to embrace him, he didn’t fight her, hiding his face in her neck.

And Bruce instantly remembered the child he’d met so many years prior. Talia revealing him like he was a prop in a magic trick. That day, on the submarine, in the rain. When Talia gave that poor boy an ultimatum. And his answer. His simple, innocent, almost sweet, answer.

_“Do I have to choose? I would much rather we were all together.”_

But they’d never talked about it, and over the years, with his relationship with Dick, and the new friends he’d made, Bruce thought Damian had changed his mind. That he didn’t think the same. Hell, he still remembered that conversation they’d had. Out in space, Damian’s face bright in the starlight. When he’d asked if Bruce ever loved Talia, and said himself he didn’t.

But no, nothing had changed. Not at all.

Damian was still just a baby. A baby who wanted his mom and dad.

And Bruce felt guilt swirl in his gut that he’d never even noticed.

(But, he suddenly understood why Dick and Princess Koriand’r held such importance to him.)

“…Damian.” He tried, stepping forward. Dick hesitated, but then shifted to let him into the apartment. The women stayed huddled around Damian, watching Bruce silently, making it clear they weren’t moving. He nodded to them, sat on the edge of the coffee table. “Damian, can you please look at me?”

Damian didn’t. He just inhaled a shaky, watery breath.

“Damian, my relationship with Selina has nothing to do with my relationship with your mother.” Bruce offered. “And it most certainly changes nothing about my relationship with you.”

He glanced at Dick, who was closing the front door and silently moving to stand behind the sofa.

“You’re my son, and I love you. I will _always_ love you, and I will _always_ be grateful to Talia for giving you to me, despite her intentions or means.” Bruce whispered. “But, Damian. You knew your mother and I…we aren’t ever getting back together.”

“Of course I knew.” Damian spat, but there was no venom there. Slowly, as Shawn silently reached out and took his hand, he peeked out at his father, and his voice was barely a murmured. “But I…I still _hoped_.”

Bruce waited, thought about his options. Then sighed, closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

There was silence for a moment, then Bruce glanced up at Kory.

“…May I?”

Kory seemed to think about it, looked at Shawn. Dick touched her shoulder, and she exhaled, reluctantly pulling Damian from her side and shifting away from him on the couch. Bruce instantly took her spot, wrapping both his arms around Damian’s shoulders, leaning his face into his hair.

Shawn kept hold of Damian’s hand.

“I won’t call her mother.” Damian swore. “I _won’t_.”

“And I don’t expect you to.” Bruce promised. “I don’t expect you to change anything about yourself, not for Selina, or for our…marriage.”

Damian sniffed, but leaned into Bruce’s chest. That was a good sign.

“…Would you like to call your mother?” Bruce asked softly. “I…haven’t spoken to her in a while myself.”

Damian seemed to think about it. “…Will it change your mind?”

“No.” Bruce smiled a little. “I’m afraid not.”

Damian sighed. “Then maybe tomorrow.” A pause. “She would berate me for such weakness right now.”

Bruce frowned, squeezed Damian a little tighter.

“…Do you want me to take you home?” Bruce asked after a moment. “I’ll…I’ll take the night off of patrol. Spend it with you.”

Damian didn’t look up, but Bruce noticed him squeeze Shawn’s fingers. “…I’d like to stay here, if that’s okay.”

Dick cut in then. “Do you want Bruce to stay too?”

“Yes.” Damian blurted out instantly. Hid his face deeper into his father’s neck. “Yes please.”

“It’s a party, then.” Dick hummed, ruffling the part of Damian’s hair he could reach. “Shawn? Can you come help me make up the guest room? For Kory, of course. Bruce can sleep on the sofa.”

Shawn grinned, and stood up to assist him.

Bruce hummed, carefully extracting Damian from his arms, glancing back to Kory. She nodded instantly, and when he stood, she retook her place at the boy’s side.

“…Starfire?” He murmured. Kory looked up at him. “…Thank you.”

She smiled, and Bruce could instantly see why Dick loved her once upon a time. “My pleasure.”

He nodded and stepped away, pulling out his phone as he moved into the kitchen. Dialed a number he knew by heart, and always would.

Two rings. “Beloved.”

“Talia.” He whispered. “I’m…sure you heard already.”

“I have.” She said shortly. No emotion, and that was so like her. (So like their son.) “I wish you and your betrothed all the best.”

“Damian is…” Bruce sighed. “Upset about it.”

“I’m sure.”

“…Would you be available for a call tomorrow?” Bruce asked. “He…misses you.”

Talia hesitated.

“Talia?” Bruce asked. “It…probably doesn’t mean much, especially now, but.” He glanced back to the sofa. Found Dick was back, on Damian’s other side, opposite of Kory. And they looked like the perfect family. Looked like they could be Damian’s real parents, honestly, and that…stung a little. “…I miss you too.”

Talia laughed softly. “And I, you. But for another life it seems.” There was a voice in the background, sounded like a minion calling for her. “But yes, I will be available to speak to our son tomorrow. Give my regards to Ms. Kyle.”

The line clicked.

Bruce stared at the phone for a moment, then shoved it back into his pocket. When he turned back to the room, he found Shawn had returned, sitting where he had been on the coffee table, laughing with Kory.

She completed the circle. Dick, Kory and Shawn, surrounding Damian on all sides with unconditional love and affection.

The love he’d always just… _wanted_.

He watched as Damian suddenly leaned exhaustedly into Dick’s side. As Dick just carefully rubbed his shoulder. As Kory held his hand. As Shawn reached out, and pushed Damian’s hair out of his eyes. As Damian relaxed under their gestures.

Basking in the affection he deserved.

And always, _always_ had.

(And neither him nor Talia could ever give him, no matter how much they wanted to.)


End file.
